Device for rapidly and easily interchanging the drawplate in automatic presses for soft materials, particularly for alimentary paste



y 1958 M. BRAIBANTI ET AL 2,844,110

DEVICE FOR RAPIDLY AND EASILY INTERCHANGING THE DRAWPLATE IN AUTOMATIC PRESSES FOR SOFT MATERIALS, PARTICULARLY FOR ALIMENTARY PASTE Filed June 20, E55 3 I United States Patent DEVICE FOR RAPIDLY .AND EASILY INTER- CHANGING THE DRAWPLATE IN AUTOMATIC PRESSES FOR SOFT MATERIALS, PARTICU- LARLY FOR ALINIEN'IARY PASTE Mario Braibanti and Giuseppe Braibanti, Milan, Italy Application June 20, 1955, Serial No. 516,694

Claims priority, application Italy July 26, 1954 1 Claim. (Cl; 107-14) The present invention concerns a device for interchanging easily and rapidly the drawplates in automatic presses for soft substances, particularly for alimentary paste.

In automatic presses for the continuous production of plastic materials in general and of alimentary paste in particular, there is great interest for a possibility of quickly interchanging the drawplates (the die plates) through which the paste is extrudedlin various shapes.

To attain this object, various mechanisms have been proposed which however are all very complicated and costly. I

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device permitting to interchange the draw plates easily and quickly, although simple and cheap in construction.

In fact the invention relates to a device for interchanging easily and rapidly the draw plates in automatic presses for soft substances, particularly for alimentary paste,-

characterized in that the head carrying the draw plate is provided with an opening radial and perpendicular to the axis of the draw plate, and through which said draw plate is introduced into and extracted from the said head carrying it, said draw plate coming to rest on a circular border of a threaded ring mounted screwable in the lower part of said head carrying the draw plate, in such a way that by screwing on and by unscrewing said threaded ring, said draw plate is tightened against the upper part of said head and unlocked for extraction respectively. To make the invention more fully clear, two preferred embodiments are illustrated diagrammatically, merely by way of example, in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 represents an axial section of the head carrying the draw plate of one first embodiment according to the invention;

Fig. 2 represents a section of Fig. 1 along a plane normal to the axis of the draw plate;

Fig. 3 represents a particular in enlarged scale of Fig. 1; and

Figs. 4, and 6 represent sections respectively analogous to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, of the heads carrying the draw plate of a second embodiment of the invention.

With reference to the drawing, where equal reference numerals indicate equal or corresponding parts, in the embodiments represented in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 it will be seen that with 1 there is indicated the head of the automatic press; with 2 the draw plate; with 3 the draw plate carrier equipped with handle 3'; with 4 a radial opening provided in the head 1 perpendicular to the axis of the draw plate 2 and through which said draw plate is interchanged; with 5 a conveniently threaded circular counter-member adapted to be screwed on or unscrewed 'by acting upon the handles 6 and 7 in the lower part of the head 1 which too is conveniently threaded; with 8 an elastic ring provided with a peripheral groove in which there is housed a ring 9 of elastic material interposed between the upper face of the draw plate carrier 3 and an annular groove provided in the lower part of the head 1; and with 10 a groove provided in the head 1 2,844,110 Patented July 22, 1958 seen that the circular counter member 5, provided with threading, rises and lowers if screwed on or if unscrewed respectively in the lower part of the head 1, locking or releasing the drawing plate carrier 3 the upper border of which in turn comprises or releases the elastic ring 8. If the piece 5 is screwed upwards, the elastic ring 8 ensures perfect tightness at bottom by the coincidence between'the surface of the upper border ofthe draw plate carrier 3 and the surface of the lower border of the elastic ring 8, said surfaces being perfectly plane and machined.

Instead, thetightness between the surface of the upper border of the elastic ring and the circular seat provided in the head 1 for accommodating said ring 8, is ensured by the ring of elastic material 9 which is deformed under the thrust of the paste that possibly might be extruded between the lower border of said annular seat and the upper border of said elastic ring 9, and adheres strongly to the walls of both the seat provided in the head 1 and of the seat provided in the elastic ring 8.

If, instead, the piece 5 is 'screwed downwards by a few millimetres, it becomes easyto draw the steelwire 11 by means of the handle 13' and thus to cut the cone with 2 the draw plate; with 4 the radial aperture provided in the head 1 normal to the draw plate 2 and through which said draw plate is interchanged; with 5 the circular counter piece supporting the draw plate 2; said counter piece is suitably threaded so that it can be screwed in or unscrewed by actuating the handles 6 and 7, in the lower part of the head 1 which too is conveniently threaded; with 8 an elastic ring provided with a peripheral threading wherein there is accommodated 'a ring 9 of elastic material; with 14 a worm screw actuated by a handwheel 15 rotatable but not translatable owing to the stop 16 which causes with its rotation advancement or backward movement; with 11 a steel wire provided with a handle 13 and accommodated in the groove 10 provided in the head 1 of the automatic press and pivoted in the seat 12.

It is evident that if the counter piece 5 is screwed upwards, it locks the draw plate 2 against the lower perfectly plane border of the elastic ring 8 thus ensuring the perfect tightness of the head.

The elastic ring 8 in turn is provided with an external peripheral seat in which there is housed the ring of elastic material 9 and, therefore, if during working there should occur outflow of paste between the upper border of the elastic ring 8 and the seat provided in the head 1 wherein said ring is accommodated, it would deform said ring of elastic material 9 which, coming to stick against the seat provided in the ring 8 and in the head 1, would ensure perfect tightness.

If the piece 5 is unscrewed downwards it becomes possible to cut the cone of paste contained in the head 1 by pulling the steel wire 11 by means of the handle 13. Having carried out said operation, it becomes easy to extract the draw plate 2 by having it pushed by the threaded pin 14 by eifect of therotation of the handwheel 15. When the draw plateis extracted from the Having accommodated the new draw plate at the place of thepreceding one, after previous retraction of the threadedpin 14, obtained by acting in reverse sense. on the handwheel 15,. it sufiices to turn the pieceS by means of the handles 6 and 7 by some turns, to put the automatic press incondition for taking up working again.

From the above description it appears very clear how simple and rapid the. operation of interchanging the. draw plates are although employingmechanical means of easy and cheap make.

We claim:

A device for the extrusion of plastic substances comprising ahollow head defining a cylindrical opening and having'an internally threaded. portion, the interior profile of said hollow head defining a shoulder at which the cylinder terminates, a. support plate adapted to bev accommodated in said cylindrical opening, said head defining a radial aperture for the insertion and withdrawal of i said support plate, means formanually inserting said plate into and withdrawing said plate from the cylindrical opening through the said radial aperture, an extrusion die loosely supported by said support plate but restricted by said support plate against movement due to the movement of extruded substances,;a first resilient; ring interposed between said shoulder and said support plate with said support plate positioned in the cylindrical opening,

a second resilient ring, said first-resilient ring defining an annular groove adjacent said. head for housing said second resilient ring for preventing the extrusion of substances between thefirst said resilient ring and said head, said support plate and the first said resilient ring abutting along a plane and cooperatively defining a second annular groove adjacent said head and including the plane, said head defining a groove corresponding with said second annular groove, a cutting wire pivoted at one end to said headand positioned in the second annular and the corresponding grooves and in said plane, the other end of said cutting wire extending through said radial aperture, a handle on said other end for pivoting said cutting. wire for cutting through the extruded substances along said plane, and a threaded ring for engaging said internally threaded portion and urging said support plate against said resilient ring thereby locking said support plate in position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED'STATES PATENTS 642,813 Cowen Feb. 6, 1900 1,768,790 Royle July 1, 1930 2,257,695 Lihotzky Sept. 30, 1941 2,480,442 Booth Aug. 30, 1949 2,543,679 Van Riper Feb. 27, 1951 2,607,954, Schneider et a1 Aug. 26, 1952 2,661,497 Birmingham Dec. 8, 1953 2,713,698- Danby. et al July, 26, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 676,377 Great Britain July 23, 1952. 

